Sylvania



A. PAPINI.

CURRENT REGULATING PLUG AND SOCKET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 19I9.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

j ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES VPATENT OFFICE.

ANTONIO PAPINI, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TC A. MECKY COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ANTONIO Parmi, a subject ofthe King of Italy, having resided in the United States one year last past and having declared my intention of becoming a citizen thereof, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented a new and useful Current-Regulating' Plug and Socket, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a novel construction ofv a. current regulating plug and socket, wherein I employ an insulating cylinder formed into the shape of a cup, the upper portion of said cylinder containing suitable resista-nce material, which is adapted to be compressed by a piston, according to requirements, so as to increase or decrease the flow of the current by means of the rotation of la manually operated spindle, which on its inner end carries a pinion adapted to mesh with a rack formed on or secured to the piston rod of said piston, whereby when said pinion is actuated, the pressure upon the resistance material will be increased or decreased, according to requirements.

My invention further consists of the novel construction and combination of a contact pin with the hollow piston rod of the piston of the compressing' device, suitable supporting, connecting and insulating means common to said rod and pin being provided, whereby the circuit is opened and closed in a reliable and eiiective manner by the actuation of the piston rod with respect to the contact pin, which telescopes with said pision rod.

It further consists in combining in a current regulating plug and socket, a plug member which incloses the piston cylinder containing the resistance material, a socket member, and a piston which can be manually operated from the exterior by a coacting pinion and rack, so that the resistance material can be compressed according to requirements.

To the above ends, my invention consists of a novel current regulating plug and socket of the character described, wherein very small variations in current can be obtained CURRENT-REGULATING PLUG AND SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted iwal. 30, 1920,

Application filed August 15, 1919.

Serial No. 317,826.

with great accuracy and which can be cheaply constructed, is not liable to get out of order and which can be readily installed in the desired position, and wherein all the parts are readily accessible at all times for the purposes o" inspection, replacement or repair.

For the purpose oi illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying' drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein.

shown and described.

Figure l represents a vertical sectional view of a current regulating plug and socket embodying my invention, the section being' taken on line l-l Fig. 2, but showing a different resistance material from that employed in Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represent-s a vertical sectional view or' Fig. l, the section being taken on line 2 2 of said ligure, but showing a diil'erent form of resistance material from that employed in Fig. l.

Fig. B represents a. side elevation, partlj,T in section, of a piston and its piston rod. suitably insulated and movably mounted upon the contact pin, whereby the circuit is readily opened and closed, according to requirements.

Fig. 4 represents a side elevation of a chain actuated wheel, which may be used in lieu of the manually operated wheel seen in Fig. 2, showing the manner of mounting an actuating chain thereon.

Fig. 5 represents a section of the air box seen in detached position.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:-

l designates my novel construction of current regulating plug and socket, the same comprising an insulating cylinder 2, which is cup-shaped in cross section, in the upper portion of which is contained the resistance material, which is shown in Fig. 1 as being granulated at 3, and in Fig. 2 as composed of disks 4 having the central openings 5 therein, said disks being separated by the air Ibox 6 composed of the top and bottom walls having the central openings 7 therethrough, .andthe side ports 8, which permit the egress of heated air. The resistance material may be either in the form of flakes or laked graphite or similar material, as seen in Fig. 1, or in the form of disks of asbesto-r fiber or the like. impregnated with graphite or flaked graphite or the like, as seen in Fig. 2,'the construction seen in Fig. 2 being especially adapted for large sizes, where considera-ble heat is generated in the resistance material.

Theupper portion of the bore of the cylinder 2 containsthe piston 8 having the pis-V ton rod 9 secured thereto and depending therefrom, the upper end of said piston rod being provided with the nut 10, while the upperV terminal 11 of said piston rod serves as a contact point. The piston rod 9 is provided with teeth or a rack 12 in the side thereof, which is in mesh with the pinion 13, which is mounted on the spindle 14 in any suitable manner, which latter has the manually operated nger piece 15 secured thereto by means of the set screw 16 or the like.

It will be apparent that if desired l may construct the manually operated linger piece 15 seen in Fig. 2, as shown at 17 in F ig. 4, wherein l have shown the sameas provided with projections and recesses 18 Vadaptedto be Vengaged by a chain 19, whereby the pinion 13, spindle 14 and rack 12 may be actu# ated in either direction by a pull on the desired endof said chain.

The upper end of the cylinder 2 is surrounded by asheet metal shell having an exterior spiral groove or thread therein, as indicated at 20, to form a plug. 21 designates a contact having the threaded member 22 depending therefrom, which passes through the disk 23, said threaded member 22 being secured in position by the nut 23 below which is the contact point 24. The lower portion of the wall of the cylinder 2 is enlarged or thickened, as indicated at 25, its inner bore forming a continuation of the bore of the cylinder 2, and is provided with the outer casing 26. l preferably split transversely the thickened portion of the lower cylinder wall 25 as indicated at 27, whereby the lower cylinder or cup member 28 is formed, and l secure the parts in assembled position by means of the screw 29, which passes through the shell 26 and engages said portion 28 below the cut 27 while the screw 30V passes through the opposite side of the shell 26 and engages the upper portion of the vcylinder wall 25 above said cut 27, as will be understood from Fig. 1, whereby the two lower cylinder sections are held in assembled position within the casing 26 as will be understood from Fig. 1, the foregoing forming a convenient means for securing the upper cylinder member 2 and the lower cup member 28 in assembled position.

31 designates an internally threaded socket member, which has the upper wall 32 thereof secured against the bottom 33 of the cup member 28 by means of the screw 32X, which engages said bottom 33, the nut also securing in position the spring contact 37 and contact pin 3G, whose contour will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2.

llhe construction and manner of assembling the piston rod 9 with respect to theA contact pin 36 will be understood from the enlarged view seen in Fig. 3, wherefrom it will be seen that the contact pin 36 has at its lower portion the flanged member 37 upon which rests the insulatingv bushing 38, which is surrounded by the brass bushing or sleeve 39, which latter extends upwardly about two-thirds the length of the contact pin, to the short insulating sleeve 40, which forms a continuation of the bushing 39.

41 designates a threaded brass bushing which engages the upper threaded end 42 of the contact pin 36, the relative arrangement and proportions of the parts being understood from Fig. 3, so that it will be understood that when the parts are in the position seen in said Fig. 3, the circuit is broken, but when the piston 8 is advanced or moved upwardly, the piston rod 9 will allow the current to pass through it, the brass bushing 39, the brass bushing`41, the contact pin 36 to the contact spring 37, which is in electrical contact withV the parts 32 and 36. Y

It will be apparent from F ig. 3, that the brass bushing 39 is of less length than the Yinsulating,bushing38, which it surrounds,

while the short outer insulating bushing` 40 is of greater length than the inner brass bushing 41, which it surrounds. The brass bushing 41 and the insulating bushing 38, are fast or Xed with respect to the contact pin 36, while the brass bushing 39 and the alining insulatingbushing 40 are fast or fixed with respect to the piston rod 9, it being apparent that the circuit is closed when the upper end of the brass bushing 39 moves upwardly from the position seen in Fig. 3, so as to contact with the lower end ofthe brass bushing 41. l

lt will be seen from Fig. l, that the current passes in one side of the device through theplug 20, the conductor 43, and the socket 31 to the lamp, motor or other device, thence back to the conductor 37, cont-act pin 36, piston rod 9, resistance material 3 or 4 and the contact 21, the circuit being broken when theparts are in the position seen in Figs. l or 3, but being closed after the piston has been moved upwardly, and the current being regulated by the variations of pressure exerted on the resistance material, which is controlled by the rotation of the spindle 14, according to requirements. When the construction of resistance material seen in Fig. 2 is employed, as in the case of large switches, I locate air exit ports 44 in the wall of the cylinder 2, so that the heat generated may be taken up by the metallic air box 6 and escape through the ports 8 and 44.

It will be apparent that the various parts of the device may be suitably insulated or provided with insulation in various particulars other than those specifically nientioned, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and which will require no further description.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction of a current regulating plug and socket which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the above description, and while I have, in the present instance, shown and described a preferred embodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the saine is susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder, resistance material therein, a conipressor compressing said resistance material, a hollow rod for said compressor,

.means for actuating said rod, a contact in contained Within said rod, a short metalic bushing secured to the top of said pin, a lower longer alining insulating bushing surrounding said pin, an outer metallic bushing surrounding said insulating bushing, and an outer insulating bushing surrounding the inner metallic bushing attached to the upper end of said contact pin.

2. In a device of the characted stated, a cylinder, resistance material therein, a compressor for compressing said resistance material, a hollow piston rod for said compressor, a rack on said rod, a pinion engaging said rack, a contact pin contained within saidV hollow rod, an upper metallic bushing andil a lower insulating bushing surrounding and engaging said contact pin,A an upper insulating bushing and a lower metallic bushing engaging the inner wall of said hollow piston rod, and movable in unison therewith.

3. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder, resistance material therein, a piston for compressing the latter, a hollow piston rod, a rack on the latter, a pinion in mesh with said raclr, a contact pin having its upper end threaded and extending into said hollow piston rod, a short metallic bushing engaging the upper end of said contact pin, a long insulating bushing engaging the lower portion of said contact pin, a metallic bushing surrounding said insulating bushing, and an upper shorter insulating bushing surrounding said short metallic bushing.

4. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder, containing resistance materia-l, a compressor therefor, a hollow piston rod for said compressor, a contact pin extending into said piston rod, an upper metallic bushing and a lower alining insulating bushing engaging said contact pin, an outer upper insulating bushing and an outer lower metallic bushing surrounding said two firstmentioned bushings, and an exteriorly threaded plug member surrounding the upper portion of said cylinder.

5. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder, containing resistance material, a compressor therefor, a hollow piston rod for said compressor, a contact pin extending into said piston rod, an upper metallic bushing and a lower alining insulating bushing engaging said contact pin, an outer upper insulating bushing and an outer lowermetallic bushing surrounding said two firstmentioned bushings, and an exteriorly threaded plug member surrounding the upper portion of said cylinder, in combination with an interiorly threaded socket member secured to the lower portion of said cylinder.

6. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder containing resistance material, a compressor therefor, a hollow piston rod for said compressor, a contact pin extending into said piston rod, an upper metallic bushing and a lower alining insulating bushing engaging said contact pin, an outer upper insulating bushing and an outer lower metallic bushing surrounding said two firstmentioned bushings, and an exteriorly threaded plug member surrounding the upper portion of said cylinder, in combination with an interiorly threaded socket member secured to the lower portion of said cylinder and a casing surrounding the lower portion of said cylinder and said socket member.

7. In a device of the character stated, a cylinder containing resistance material, a compressor therefor, a hollow piston rod for said compressor, a contact pin extending into said piston rod, an upper metallic bushing and a lower alining insulating bushing .engaging said contact pin, an outer upper Ainsulating bushing and an outer lower metallic bushing surrounding said two firstmentioned bushings, and an exteriorly threaded plug member surrounding the upper portion of said cylinder, in combination with en interiorly threaded socket member secured to the lower portion of seid cylinder, the letter being thickened at its lower portionY and cnt transversely, and a casing surrounding` said lower thickened portion and said socket member and secured to said cylinder sections above and below the transverse cut.

ANTONIO PAPINI. Witnesses:

JOHN A. VIEDERSHEIM, N. BUSSINGER. 

